Thunderstorm
by Fluff Kitty
Summary: There's a thunderstorm and Natsu decides to visit Lucy. What will ensue? Now updated with the second, and final, chapter, The Morning After. Please read and review. Thanks everyone! :3
1. Thunderstorm

It was a relatively peaceful evening and Lucy was making her way home from the guild after a normal, rowdy party. Climbing up on to the stone median along the river Lucy flashed out a key and started to hum. A puff of stardust later left Lucy with her _Canis Minoris _spirit, or, so he was called, Plue.

"Pun-puun!" He shivered with a little smile. Lucy giggled cheerfully. Then he jumped up into her arms.

"Oh Plue, you're so adorable!" She squealed, squeezing him tightly.

"Puuuun!" He wheezed. Lucy let out a soft 'oops' and put him down before continuing on her way.

"Hey, be careful!"

"Yeah, watch out Lucy-San!" The fishermen called out. Why they were still out Lucy was unsure but she waved to them none the less.

"Thanks, I'll be careful." She called back. "Oh, bye!" Was added on as an afterthought.

"Today was nice Plue." Lucy started with a smile. "Natsu didn't destroy anything and Juvia didn't melt when Gray offered the seat next to him to her. Although I am pretty tired... oh well, it was really nice today... not to mention all the good weather recently too." She said looking up at the clear, starry and, best of all, cloudless night. _Actually... there might be some clouds off in the distance but we'll be fine... hopefully..._ She thought with a light shiver. Oh, how she hated thunderstorms. They never used to bother her but her mother had died the night of a thunderstorm and they always left a bad feeling behind. Plus, her hair sometimes... blew up in the rain. It wasn't that she had naturally frizzy hair... or hair like Levy's, but sometimes the frizz would strike and Lucy just couldn't stand that.

"Pun?" Plue questioned, bringing her out of her reverie. Lucy giggled in embarrassment.

"Tee hee... sorry Plue... I was... thinking." Lightly jumping off the stone, Lucy scooped up Plue and headed to her place which was a five minute walk away at most. As they were walking the wind started to pick up. _Whoosh!_ Plue shivered and snuggled into Lucy's chest. Lucy gave him a squeeze and patted his back comfortingly.

"It's alright Plue, it's just wind... we'll be home in a minute." Plue looked up at her then and patted her neck to gain her attention.

"Pun?" He asked with an adorable, pleading expression. Lucy melted and gave him a smile.

"Of course we can Plue. Do you want marshmallows with your hot chocolate?" She asked with sparkling eyes.

"Pun!" He agreed excitedly, rubbing his little paws together in anticipation. Just then another gust of wind hit them, this one much stronger than the last, accompanied by a spatter of rain droplets, each one the size of an almond. Lucy started to growl in annoyance but was quickly cut off when she yelped and then let out whine as a drop hit her squarely between the eyes. Gathering up the last of that days energy Lucy sprinted the last thirtyish seconds to her apartment. By the time she and Plue stumbled through her door, gasping for breath, they were soaked through from head to toe. Plue was shivering uncontrollably and even started sneezing. Lucy moaned.

"Oh no! Plue, I'm so sorry! I'll get Virgo to take you home," She started, grabbing Virgo's key with a flourish. "That way you can get better and I promise we'll have our hot chocolate once you're better... ne?" She asked, calling out Virgo.

"Is it time for my punishment Princess?" Virgo questioned with a curtsy. Lucy scowled.

"No." She stated firmly. "It will never be time for your punishment." Virgo sighed but instead of arguing asked what was needed of her.

"Plue caught a cold from the unexpected rain shower, I was wondering if you could take him home and care for him until he is all better. Please?" She asked pleadingly. Virgo nodded.

"Of course, Princess. I'll be back for my punishment later then I suppose." She said, starting to disappear.

"NO!" Lucy shouted out. "There will never be a punishment!" But it was too late, Virgo was already long gone. Lucy sighed, rubbing her hands over her face.

"Well... at least she can't force me to give her a punishment." Lucy told herself exasperatedly. "Why on ear-" Lucy started but was cut off when a loud boom came from outside, shaking the building. The rain came down harder and Lucy cringed. _This wasn't going to be a thunderstorm, right? It's just your average, run of the mi-_ Her thoughts were interrupted with another boom and she dropped to the floor, instinctively curling up into a ball while her hands came up to cover her ears. _It's going to be all right. It's just a storm, it can't hurt me._ She thought reassuringly but her efforts were wasted as another boom shook the building once again and the lights went out leaving her in the dark as she let out a sob of terror, curling in on herself more.

(^.^) (^.^)

Back at the guild the party was still going strong but something was off. There was a drinking contest with Cana and Macao and Mirajane was absently wiping a mug with a calculating expression as always... heck, there was even a brawl. But, if you looked closely at the brawling nakama you would notice the missing presence of a pink head of hair. Natsu was looking around for Lucy, who had seemed to have disappeared. One minute she was sitting at the bar, laughing at his antics, the next she was gone.

"Hey, Mira... where did Lucy go?" Natsu asked with a worried expression. Mira just laughed.

"Home Natsu... she got tired so she left." Natsu blinked at Mirajane once before saying a quick thanks and, with a small salute, he was off, headed straight for Lucy's place. Mirajane let out a conniving chuckle.

"If they haven't realized that they have_ something_ yet then they will know by tomorrow!" Then she resumed her task of absently wiping the mug.

Natsu was running straight to Lucy's, paying no attention to the rain as it soaked him to the bone. He just wanted to hang out with Lucy, a little rain wasn't going to stop him. Then a boom of thunder shook the ground beneath his feet. _Damn this storm is annoying._ He cursed inwardly as another boom made him lose his footing on the wet earth. _Wait... there! Just in time too!_ He thought with a grin as Lucy's place came into view. Then, even through the pounding rain and resounding booms of thunder, Natsu heard a sob. It was a sob that could only be from one person._ Luce..._ He thought with an odd pain in his chest._ Hang on... I'm coming!_ Then, with one last stroke of his legs, he jumped up to her window and, with an expert flick of his wrist, he pulled the old window open and stepped down into the apartment.

"Luce?" He started cautiously, taking a tentative step forwards and almost slipping because of his drenched and dripping clothing. Letting out a curse he dried himself before once again venturing forward into what seemed to be a pit of darkness. Thankfully, his improved eyesight helped him move silently so as to not scare Lucy if she didn't already know if he was there. Upon entering the living room his eyes caught a small movement in front of the couch. Turning quickly he manoeuvred around the coffee table but before he could reach his target he heard a strangled whimper and immediately closed the remaining space between him and the object on the floor.

"Luce... is that you?" He questioned, his voice thick with worry. When all he got was a whimper in reply he moved into action, placing a hand on her shoulder he gave a quick squeeze. As soon as his hand made contact he got a reaction. Lucy let out a choked gasp and sat up quickly, her eyes full of tears and salty tracks already running down her cheeks. Realizing Natsu was sitting in front of her, Lucy gave out a sob and flung herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Natsu was startled but quickly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He rubbed her back comfortingly while whispering soothingly into her hair, attempting to calm her down. Lucy relaxed slightly but soon after there was a boom of thunder and she sobbed louder, clinging onto Natsu with absolutely no intentions of letting go. Natsu hugged her closer, shifting his weight so that she could sit comfortably in his lap while allowing him to hold her even closer, cutting off any remaining space between the two. Lucy's sobs continued for at least another ten minutes, the lightning occasionally lighting up the room, but the storm had no intentions of giving up anytime soon. Sensing that she was slightly calmed down, Natsu pulled back slightly, turning her face up to meet eye-to-eye with his.

"Hey, Luce..." He whispered softly. "You okay?" Another boom shook the apartment and Lucy gripped his vest tightly, giving a small nod. Natsu sighed.

"I... I guess I should go now then..." Lucy snapped her head up.

"No... please..." She choked out with teary, pleading eyes. Natsu started to object until he saw her eyes and gave in.

"But you've gotta remember this in the morning... it's your fault I'm staying over." He chuckled. Lucy let out a small giggle before the thunder hit again, making her yelp and bury her face once again in Natsu's chest. _Yeah... no way this storm was stopping anytime soon. It's funny though... I'm okay with it. This feels... nice... natural even. _Natsu thought, grabbing onto Lucy tightly while he slowly stood up. Lucy adjusted her weight and wrapped her legs around Natsu's waist to make herself easier to carry. Natsu grinned, he could get used to this.

"Hold on Luce." He warned, making Lucy move her arms to wrap around his neck tightly. He chuckled, slowly venturing through the darkness to Lucy's bedroom. Upon reaching her door he found it closed and gave it a light shove with his shoulder which made it glide open quickly and smoothly. _Her door doesn't have a very good latch... I'll fix it for her so perverts like Popsicle can't get her._ He thought with a slight frown at the thought of Gray and Lucy. _Hmm... weird. Why do I feel this way? Lucy... your weirdness must be infectious._ During his thoughts he had made his way to Lucy's bed and he slowly lowered her down, untangling her from himself in the process. Once she was sitting down he turned around and managed to take one step before she let out a hoarse cry and lunged after him, hugging him from behind and catching him by surprise.

"Luce...?" He breathed, confused by her reaction. Lucy shuddered.

"You... you said t-that you w-wouldn't l-leave me..." She sobbed, clutching his vest tightly. He turned sharply, making her lose her grip and stumble backwards quickly. As soon as she started steadying herself there was yet another boom of thunder and she gasped sharply, her already weak-from-terror knees collapsing underneath her. Natsu, who had expected her to catch her footing, saw all of this in slow motion. _It's definitely the thunderstorms fault that she's upset_... Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact. However, instead of hitting her hardwood floor she felt warm, strong arms suddenly around her waist, stopping her mid-fall. She stayed still for a moment before opening her eyes, only to find herself face-to-face with Natsu, their eyes level.

"Natsu..." Lucy murmured, moving her left hand to absently stroke his cheek. Natsu blushed furiously and so did Lucy, as soon as she realized what she was doing that is. As Lucy quickly retracted her hand Natsu stood them up, picking Lucy up abruptly only to drop her back down on her bed. Lucy looked up at him, her eyes still fearful.

"Luce, it's okay... I'm not going to leave... I was just getting something. Stay put." Natsu said firmly, staring right into her eyes. Lucy blushed and looked unsure but agreed, although her eyes never left him as he walked swiftly to the other side of her room. He quickly reached her dresser and opened up some drawers, rummaging around.

"Natsu... what are yo-" Lucy started but was cut off when something soft hit her directly between the eyes.

"Hey!" She cried out indignantly. Natsu chuckled, "Sorry Luce... I got you some pj's though..." Lucy looked down at the clothes in her lap, indigo boxers and a light yellow tank top, and gave Natsu a smile.

"Thanks..." She murmured, blushing slightly. He shrugged, "Eh... it was nothing. I'll give you some privacy then..." He said, walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Lucy cried out, "Please... stay... just, turn around or something..." Natsu smirked, "What? Afraid I'll peek huh?" But he turned around anyways, snickering softly. Lucy blushed and gave out a huff but changed into her night clothes quickly.

"Okay I'm rea-" She started but stopped abruptly and let out a squeak as her boxers fell down, thankfully she was wearing underwear though. Natsu, hearing the okay, turned as lightning struck, lighting **everything** up (meaning Lucy and Natsu's scarlet blush) only to immediately pivot back and slap his hands over his eyes. Lucy pulled the boxers up quickly and grabbed a ribbon from her dresser to tie around the waistband while thinking, _Oh my god... why, boxers? Aah, this is so embarrassing! But... wait a second... did he just... blush?_ Then, letting out a shaky breath Lucy told Natsu it was safe to turn around. Natsu did turn back however, he kept his eyes covered. Lucy blushed but didn't want to seem stupid for letting her boxers fall down, it wasn't his fault he saw..._ things._ So she did what she assumed to be a clever choice, go on the defensive.

"What? Why are your eyes still covered? Didn't like what you saw?" She questioned, hurt dancing in her eyes. Natsu balked, this was **not** what he had been expecting. I mean, a beat down sure but her upset because she was afraid that he didn't like what he saw? No, he definitely wasn't expecting this.

"N-no... t-that's n-not it L-Luce... Y-you're g-gorgeous... I c-couldn't have h-hoped for a b-better partner." He stuttered terribly, all the while blushing furiously. "A-and... I... err... l-liked w-w-what I s-saw... t-that i-is..." Natsu added tentatively. Lucy blushed and started fidgeting awkwardly. Then, seemingly right on time, another boom of thunder shook the place making Lucy cry out and Natsu immediately closed the distance between the two, pulling Lucy into a tight hug, the awkwardness forgotten. Natsu carefully lifted her up and laid her back on her bed, tucking her in and sitting down at the end facing her. Lucy was crying softly, the salty smell filling his senses, and was staring directly at Natsu. She shuffled over slightly, offering the place next to her but Natsu shook his head saying that he didn't want her to kill him in the morning. Lucy saddened visibly but didn't argue... he was probably right anyways. With a sniffle Lucy grabbed an extra pillow, sobbing into it and tensing up at every boom. With a sigh Natsu got up and moved over to the empty space.

"Luce... hey, it's okay... I'm here." He said softly, tugging gently at the pillow she was holding. Lucy loosened her grip on the poor thing and glanced up at Natsu tearfully. Seeing her chocolate eyes, which were usually filled with joy and excitement accompanied by a warm twinkling glow, in that state with 'fear' written all over them Natsu could do only one thing. He chucked away the pillow and lifted up the blankets, sliding in next to her and then gently gathered the sobbing Lucy up tight in his warm, comforting embrace. Lucy visibly relaxed, curling into him with a soft sigh. They laid there quietly for a few minutes, Lucy flinching at every boom and still sniffling softly, until Natsu shook Lucy slightly making her open her eyes to look at him.

"Luce... you... you don't have to tell me but remember... if you need me... I'm always here, ne?" Lucy nodded and tucked her head into the crook of his neck and whispered softly, "I... I know... it's just... well... my mother..." And then she got too choked up to continue but Natsu knew that her mother had died when Lucy was just little and her mothers death must be related to storms somehow. So, stroking her hair comfortingly, Natsu whispered, "It's okay Luce, I gotcha." Lucy cried louder, clinging to Natsu, who just continued to stroke her hair and pull her ever closer to him. Eventually Lucy's sobs died down and her breathing evened out leaving Natsu to conclude that she had fallen asleep. _Luce looks so peaceful in her sleep..._ Natsu mused, staring down at her sleeping form and rubbing a stray wisp of hair off of her nose, pausing quickly to stroke her cheek. As Natsu watched her another boom of thunder struck and Lucy flinched, subconsciously cuddling into Natsu and intertwining their legs. Natsu smirked and moved the hand that had been stroking her hair down to her waist where he gave her a light squeeze and slowly drifted off to sleep._ It was so worth it to ditch the party and come over here. Luce... I don't know why but Luce makes everything better... and she just smells so nice..._

_A/N:_

_Hey guys! Thanks for reading my story... it's my first so I'm unsure as to whether or not it was good enough. Also... I was wondering if I should end it there or add another chapter or so. Let me know what you think. And thank you once again... oh, and I apologize if they were really OOC... anyways... Please review~ _


	2. The Morning After

The Morning After

The chirping of nearby birds brought Lucy out of her peaceful slumber and she groggily opened her eyes.

"Wha?" She said sleepily, staring at the surface before her. _This pillow looks weird... oh... wait. I remember now. _She thought with a blush. _There was a thunderstorm and Natsu came over and comforted me and then we fell asleep... Which means that this isn't a weird pillow... it's Natsu!_ Her mind screamed and she immediately tried jumping backwards to put space between them. She was stopped, however, by something around her waist. _Is that...?_ Lucy slowly tilted her head downwards only to blush, close her eyes and snap her head back up. _Natsu's arm... is around my waist... oh god..._ Once she had calmed down slightly she opened her eyes to find herself looking at Natsu's sleeping face. _He's... kinda cute... No! Lucy you can't think like that... he's just your nakama!_ She thought with a pang in her chest. Sure they had slept together but it wasn't anything intimate... just a friend helping out another friend. Why did that make Lucy so upset? Just then Natsu's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh... hey Luce." He murmured groggily. "What's up?" Lucy blushed but he didn't seem uncomfortable so she answered him with a small giggle.

"The sun, sleepy head." Natsu blushed.

"Sorry... I was up later than normal cause I was... uhm..." He trailed off, unsure as to what to tell the girl in front of him. _Staring at you while you slept obviously._ His mind pointed out and then he winced. That just made him sound perverted. Lucy, thankfully, hadn't noticed him wince since she was too busy awkwardly twisting her hands with a scarlet blush. Natsu looked down and snickered.

"What?" Lucy demanded. "Is there something on my face?" She asked in a panic, reaching up to cover her face. Her outburst made Natsu's snicker into a full on laugh and he pulled her into a big hug.

"Nah... you're just cute when you do that." He pointed out in a 'duh' manner.

"R-really?" Lucy stuttered, embarrassed. Natsu nodded his head vigorously.

"Yup... really cu- agh!" He said suddenly, face palming himself with one arm still around Lucy.

"What? Are you okay?" Lucy cried out worriedly. Natsu nodded, jumping off the bed. Unfortunately, he had forgotten he was still holding Lucy and the momentum carried her with him. Letting out a shrill yelp Lucy grabbed Natsu and just hoped she wouldn't die. Natsu, realizing his mistake, twisted in midair to cushion their fall and protect Lucy while praying that she wouldn't kill him. With an 'oof' they landed and Natsu braced himself for what was forthcoming.

"Thanks..." Lucy muttered, sitting up. Natsu looked at her and uttered a very sophisticated 'Wha?' to which Lucy laughed and said, "For 'saving' me... I didn't fancy getting crushed." Natsu blushed.

"And I'm sorry too... I forgot I was holding you..." He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Lucy laughed before turning serious.

"What were you upset about?" Lucy asked, looking at Natsu expectantly.

"Err... I uhh... kinda have to... doErza'slaundrytoday." He said in a rush. Lucy tilted her head to the left.

"Wha?" She asked with bemused expression. "Could you repeat that?"

"I... kinda have to do Erza's laundry today..." Natsu repeated carefully. Lucy gave him a 'wtf' look and asked why. "Gray's out on a mission with Juvia today... Erza usually makes him do stuff like that so... well I'm the only other option... heh..." Lucy sweatdropped and asked, "She makes Gray do her chores?" Natsu nodded.

"And I'm late so she'll kill me and then I'll have to work double time... can you get some ice ready? And possibly a splint too please?" Natsu begged her, crawling over to where she sat. Lucy nodded immediately.

"Absolutely! Ice, a splint... make that four splints just in case, probably some rubbing alcohol, bandages... oh god... I'll probably need to get you a tombstone instead!" Lucy wailed hysterically. "Wait! What am I saying? I'll just go with you! Erza won't kill me right? And I'll cut your workload in half too!" Natsu blanched.

"You sure? I don't know if you can afford two tombstones..." Lucy glared at him.

"I won't need to get one! We'll survive this together... although you are right... I'd go bankrupt! But I'd be dead so it'd be okay. Wait, no! We won't die. I can't afford it so we'll live. It's decided then, let's go to Erza's!" Lucy concluded, standing up and brushing herself off.

"Really? Risking your money for us? Thanks Luce!" Natsu shouted jumping up and giving Lucy a giant bear hug. Lucy grinned and hugged him back but not before yelling, "I am not risking my money! We won't die!"

"THEY LLLLLLLLIIIIIIIKKKKKKEEEEE EACH OTHER!" Happy suddenly screamed, jumping out of Lucy's closet.

"Gah!" Lucy and Natsu shrieked, tumbling to the ground. Lucy, who had managed to gain some semblance of normality, cried out, "NO WE DON'T!" Natsu frowned.

"Sure we do Luce... you're risking your life for me!" Lucy face palmed. "Shut up! It's not like that!" She told him with a pout. Natsu laughed, "Oh... Luce, you're making a cute face again!" Lucy blushed and jumped up, turning away.  
"I am not!" She wailed, covering her face. Natsu just laughed while Happy flew around purring, "They llliiiiikkkkkeeeee each other!"

"Oi!" Natsu called out upon noticing the time. Happy and Lucy looked at him.

"What?" They asked simultaneously. Natsu grimaced.

"Erza's laundry!" Lucy scrambled into action.

"Out!" She said, shoving Natsu and Happy out the door. "I'm getting changed! You guys wait in the living room and don't touch anything!" Lucy finished, slamming her door.

"Natsu... Lucy's mean!" Happy wailed. Natsu shushed him, "No she's not... she's helping us at Erza's house today."

"So I don't have to help you anymore?" Happy asked with a large grin. Natsu glared at him.

"You still have to help you damn neko!" Natsu all but shouted. Happy gave Natsu a pout.

"No you're being mean like Lushy... wah!" Happy cried, receiving an, "I heard that you damn neko! And it's Lucy!" from Lucy which made him frown at Natsu.

"See?" Happy prodded with a 'told-you-so' look. Natsu just smacked Happy, which sent the poor exceed flying, and then noticed the absence of his scarf.

"Wha? Where did it go? Wait... it must have fallen off in Lucy's room. I'm going to get my scarf... stay here Happy." Natsu said sternly, walking off towards Lucy's room. Upon reaching her door Natsu gave a firm knock only to watch as the door swung open quickly and silently and too late Natsu remembered the weak latch. A mere second later showed Natsu a once-again-in-her-underwear Lucy and he had a quick nosebleed before averting his eyes and swiftly walking past a gob smacked Lucy to grab his scarf, which he had spied tangled in her blankets. As soon as he had his scarf he gave her a small apology before hurrying out of the room and closing the door before Lucy could kill him. Lucy, on the other hand, was still standing in the middle of her room, frozen on the spot. _What just happened? Did Natsu just...? What the hell? And he apologized after? I'm so confused. Concentrate... get dressed and then go do Erza's laundry. There isn't much thinking involved with that. _

(^.^) (^.^)

Back in the living room Happy was nursing a bruise from Natsu's smack earlier and Natsu was trying to stop his nosebleed. However, Natsu's efforts were pretty futile as soon as he saw Lucy. Maybe he was just noticing but Lucy was... wow. Today she had decided to wear something more modest than normal which just seemed to enhance her natural beauty. Her outfit consisted of a mid-thigh length, puffed out whited skirt with a light blue sleeveless blouse. As she approached Natsu he realized that she was holding a light blue ribbon in her hand as well.

"Luce, what's up with the ribbon?" Natsu asked with a nod towards said object.

"Oh, thanks for asking. It's for my hair but I can't do it so I was wondering if you'd help." She admitted with a slight blush, fiddling with her fingers awkwardly. Natsu blushed.

"Umm... But I can't really... uhh..." Lucy gave Natsu her best puppy dog eyes and he gave in. I mean, what else could he do? Natsu heaved a sigh.

"Unfair advantage Luce..." He muttered but picked up the ribbon and stepped behind her anyways. Happy snickered and muttered a good bye before snatching a fish from Lucy's fridge and heading to Erza's house.

"Uhh... what do I do with it?" Natsu asked with a slight frown. Lucy just shrugged.

"I don't know... just make it stay up." She replied. Natsu raised his eyebrows but she wasn't saying anything else so he just started playing around with her hair to see what he could do. As soon as she felt Natsu's warm fingers on her head she leaned back slightly, balancing her weight on his chest. Natsu shifted his feet subconsciously to give her some space and continued with her hair. About ten minutes later Lucy was starting to fall asleep and Natsu was just about done.

"There!" He exclaimed, taking a step backwards. Lucy let out a cry and closed her eyes. This time she was sure she'd hit. Instead, once again, she was caught not two seconds later by Natsu.

"Sorry..." They both mumbled, making Lucy blush and Natsu grin. With a quick tug Natsu had Lucy on her feet and they headed out the door.

"Oi!" Natsu called out. "I forgot Happy, gimme a second." And with that he walked back in only to exit ten seconds later with a, "He's gone." Lucy panicked.

"Wait, what? How could he be gone! No! I lost Happy!" Natsu gave her arm a light bump.  
"Nah..." He said, sniffing the air. "He left a couple minutes ago... he headed in... that direction!" Natsu exclaimed, pointing towards Fairy Hills. They both looked at each other with a 'we're-screwed' face and took off after Happy.

(^.^) (^.^)

Back at Erza's place Happy had just concluded what he had seen that morning to Erza and was happily munching on a fish from Erza as a thank you gift. Erza, on the other hand, was eating a piece of strawberry cake while wondering how to kill Natsu. He was two hours late! Just then a knocking on the door interrupted Erza's cruel thoughts.

"I'll get it!" Happy yelled, flying over to the door. Erza walked up behind him and gave the person standing there an evil smirk.

"Natsu... glad you could finally make it. Please do come in." Erza said, menace dripping from her words. Natsu shuddered and then something behind him moved.

"Hi Erza-San... Sorry we're late." Erza's jaw dropped.

"Oh yeah... heh heh... did I forget to mention that Lucy would be joining Natsu today?" Happy questioned Erza while flying backwards to hide behind her couch. Erza growled, turned and flung a random object at the exceed who let out an 'oof' before falling unconscious to the floor. Natsu shuddered and Lucy sweatdropped, shuffling behind Natsu. Erza turned back to the frightened mages at her door and looked at Lucy. She gave a small smile when she noticed how the two were standing and said hi to Lucy before rounding on Natsu.

"First of all... you are two hours late! I've been waiting for you since 7:00am this morning! Secondly, you can't force Lucy into helping you, that's not right!" Natsu shrunk down and muttered, "But you force me into helping you..." Erza sent him a glare that said 'shut-up-or-I'll-kill-you' and continued on her rant. "Thirdly, I can't believe you would force yourself upon Lucy! You slept with her and you two aren't dating? What kind of sick pervert are you? You make me sick!" As Erza continued to rain insults down upon Natsu Lucy took a timid step forward, ignoring the hold Natsu had on her wrist.

"Erza-San... please forgive Natsu. It's my fault we're late and I offered to help Natsu, he didn't force me to. Plus it's not the first time we've slept together but those times, just like this time, weren't intimate! So don't plot revenge on Natsu and please don't kill us. We're just here to help you with your laundry, okay? Then we can all go to the guild or something and forget anything ever happened... I hope?" Lucy finished with a weak glare. Erza took a step forwards and Lucy skittered behind Natsu, who was just pushed out of the way by Erza two seconds later, and then Lucy found herself in a rib crushing hug from Erza who seemed to be angry and extremely happy at the same time.

"You were so brave Lucy, good for you! Also... I guess that if you're happy I'm happy but let me know if Natsu ever hurts you and I'll come and crush him!" Erza stated, her chest puffed up in pride, while Lucy sweatdropped and Natsu blanched. "Oh, and Lucy? Don't you ever stand up to me again or I will kill you too." She finished with a sickly sweet smile. Lucy managed to offer Erza a weak smile before she and Natsu were shoved into the house. Lucy gasped.

"This is your Fairy Hills home? It's so... it's huge! How did you... I mean Levy's is only the size of my place and the same goes for everyone else as well... how?" She trailed off, utterly bewildered. Erza gave her a large smile.

"Well, since I am the Titania after all, Master agreed to let me choose my house first and I was also the first one allowed to make renovations so I decided to take the whole right side of the building. You know how it is, a girl needs her space, ne?" Lucy didn't answer, she was too busy drooling over everything. "Anyways," Erza continued with a self satisfied smile. "Here is my laundry room and I expect it all done by three o'clock this afternoon." She declared stopping at a pair of red double doors. With a step forwards and a firm shove, the doors swung open smoothly to reveal a pile of laundry so big that Natsu mistook it for a mountain at first. Lucy was amazed, jealous, and tired all at the same time._ Look at all the clothes... sigh._ Then there was a high pitched squeal and Lucy dove towards a random pink object.

"Erza! You have one of these? They were only on sale for... three seconds or something! Plus there were only five!" Lucy screamed, scaring Natsu. Erza just chuckled.

"Well of course. And they were only on sale for two seconds and thirty two milliseconds." She told Lucy with a smug grin. "You can have it if you'd like... I've got four others after all. Consider it your payment or something." Erza finished heading towards the doors.

"Hey! What about me? Don't I get paid or something? Erza!" Natsu whined but Erza was already gone. Natsu turned around with a huff. "No fair... what is that thing anyways Luce?" Lucy looked up at him.

"Oh... you know. It's just a sweater by the number one clothes maker in all of Fiore. There were only five made too! To think that Erza could get her hands on five of them... wow. Wait... Erza got five... there were five... how did she? What the hell! Natsu just blinked.

"Girls and their clothes are just so weird... Luce... you're really weird." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Lucy glared at him.

"I am not weird!" She yelled. Natsu shrugged.

"Eh... sure you're not Luce... anyways... we should probably start cleaning now... how come all you girls have so many clothes?" Lucy chose to ignore his last comment and they spent the next five or so hours in a companionable silence.

(^.^) (^.^)

Back in Erza's living room Happy was awaking from his daze as Erza strode back from her laundry room. Upon spying Happy Erza gave a grunt of greeting and sat down to finish off her delicious piece of strawberry cake.

"Erza?" Happy called, clumsily standing up. Erza replied with a glare and a, "What?" Happy shivered.

"Well... maybe... after Lucy and Natsu finish your laundry you could bring them out for ice cream and give me enough time to make it to the guild and tell Mira-Chan... she'll want to know what happened last night. Natsu left in a rush once he found out Lucy had gone and Mira-Chan put on her weird, creepy face." Erza gave Happy a calculating smile. "That's the face!" Happy cried, covering his eyes.

"Well Happy... that's not a bad idea. Go get yourself another fish." Erza announced with a grin._ For an idiot, Happy is pretty smart at times... just like Natsu, I'll give them that much._ She thought, grabbing herself another slice of cake which she munched thoughtfully.

(^.^) (^.^)

"Wow... and I thought cleaning your place was hard work!" Lucy wheezed, sliding down to the floor. Natsu grinned.

"But we did a pretty good job eh?" He asked, sliding down to lean on her. Lucy groaned.

"Off! I'm hot!" Natsu just laughed, "I can't help you there Luce... unless..." He trailed off thoughtfully. Lucy looked at him.

"Unless what?" She asked apprehensively. Natsu gave her his trademark grin, teeth and all.

"Unless this!" He said, jumping up and grabbing the laundry tub hose. Lucy jumped up.

"DON'T YOU DA-AGH! NATSU!" She shrieked as a stream of cool water hit her in the shoulder. Natsu laughed at her.

"Stand in the middle of the room Luce!" He started. "There's a drain so Erza can't get mad at us!" He finished, jumping up and down in glee. Lucy tried to glare but was enjoying the cool water so it was a really pathetic glare. Realizing that she actually didn't care that she was soaking wet, Lucy walked over to the centre of the room, much to Natsu's surprise. He actually thought she was going to kick him for a second there.

"Fine, but I get to spray you too." She declared, sticking out her tongue.

"But Luce... there's only one hose... what do you want me to do? Just hand it over? No way!" He declared but Lucy ignored him, closing her eyes. _The water feels nice. Ugh... water... Juvia's water lock... hmm, I wonder how Juvia's doing with Gray. Hey! The water stopped!_ She realized, opening her eyes. Natsu was standing in front of her, offering the hose. Lucy giggled.

"You don't know what you're getting into." She stated with a squeeze of the handle. Natsu let out a yelp as the cool water hit him in the forehead.

"Not fair! I didn't hit you in the face!" He cried but Lucy just stuck her tongue out again. "Fine... be that way. Cause now it's on!" Natsu yelled, jumping towards her. Lucy screamed and ran to the other side of the room, all the while keeping the spray of water directed at Natsu. With a large leap Natsu landed behind Lucy and scooped her up, pulling the hose out of her hands. Letting go of the hose Natsu twirled Lucy around and she grabbed his neck yelling, "Put me down!" Natsu just laughed and said, "Erza's coming... you really want me to let go? You'd be on the floor... I'd be above you... we're soaking wet..." Lucy blanched. _It would look... well it wouldn't look like what they were doing, that's for sure!_

"Just... let me stand on my own two feet and dry this place up! Quickly!" Natsu sighed since the fun was ending but did as she said. When everything was dry and Erza was basically right outside the doors Natsu realized that he and Lucy were still soaking wet.

"Luce, c'mere!" He whispered. Lucy turned towards him.

"Why? And what are we whispering for?" She whispered back. Natsu smirked but they didn't have any time so he just ran over and scooped Lucy up into a hug while kicking his body temperature up a few degrees. In a matter of milliseconds they were both dry but Erza, with her impeccable timing, happened to stride in just then and spotted the two. She lifted an eyebrow.

"So I see Happy was right? I should have guessed as much by the way you two were acting earlier..." Natsu just tilted his head in confusion and Lucy blushed. _What exactly were they doing earlier?_ They both wondered. Erza smirked. Of course those two were too oblivious to notice. "Anyways," She continued. "I guess it's only fair to offer you payment of some sort. Would you like to join me for ice cream?" Happy flew in then.

"Erza!" The blue exceed whined. "I don't want ice cream! I want fish! You're being mean like Lucy! First Natsu and now you! Wah!" Erza sighed dramatically.

"Fine Happy. I won't buy you ice cream. Are you satisfied?" Happy sniffled.

"You didn't have to be so mean about it... but I guess so. I'm going to go to the guild and get Mira-Chan to find me a fish!" He said in a huff, turning around and flying out the door. Just before he vanished from her sight though, he gave Erza a smile and a thumbs up. Erza took in a deep breath and released it slowly. _ I've done it! I, Erza Scarlet have acted without a flaw! So this is what long awaited victory feels like. Ahh, so satisfying..._ She was brought out of her thoughts when Lucy quietly cleared her throat.

"Uhm, Erza-San... is our work okay? If so... can we, uhh, go now?" Erza looked around slowly, taking in the fact that she could see the floor and all of her clothes were neatly put away.

"I suppose so." She responded. "Let's go." And, with a crisp turn on her heel, she was off. Lucy followed immediately after, hindered for a second as she realized Natsu had not yet let go, but they were right behind Erza as she exited her house. A few minutes of walking later, they arrived at a quaint café. Lucy ordered a plain vanilla but added coconut shavings at Natsu's urging. Natsu then ordered the new peach and pecan mix with a waffle cone and Erza, of course, ordered a strawberry ice cream with strawberry sprinkles, a strawberry cone and even strawberry syrup. They then began the short trip back to the guild. By the time they arrived at the guild Natsu and Lucy had switched ice creams. Erza chuckled.

"Sure you don't like each other." Natsu and Lucy were too busy finishing off each others ice cream cones to care, or even notice for that matter. With a slight shake of her head Erza shoved open the doors and the trio was immediately surrounded by guild members who were whooping and cheering for Natsu and Lucy. Lucy went an unbelievable wild cherry red and Natsu just stood there. However, the cheers weren't getting quieter so neither of the two could explain what actually happened. Instead of trying to gain their attention Natsu just scooped Lucy up, thankful that they had managed to finish off the ice cream. Lucy shrieked but the guild just got louder, if that's even possible. Then he turned around and hightailed it out of the guild, ignoring Lucy's protests. Eventually the noise from the guild died down and Natsu realized that Lucy had stopped complaining and was just sitting there, snuggled up against his chest, watching the guild fade away to a mere nothing behind them. Upon reaching a large field at the edge of Magnolia Town, he set Lucy down beneath a willow. When she didn't protest or complain he sat down beside her.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, unsure what to do. Lucy shrugged.

"It's okay. You weren't trying to hurt me or anything... you were just trying to get us away from them. But... why didn't you wait till they calmed down so we could explain?" Natsu looked down at her and noticed slight goose bumps on her arms. He gave her a shrug of his own and put an arm around her, pulling her up to his side. She tensed slightly but almost instantly relaxed again, curling up.

"I... I guess I didn't want to say they were wrong..." He admitted with a blush. Lucy stifled a gasp.

"W-what?" She stuttered. Natsu didn't look at her.

"You heard me... I... didn't want to say they were wrong... last night was nice... it felt... well it felt right. I was hoping maybe you would be okay if... uhh... well if we could make that a... permanent thing?" He asked her apprehensively, fearing the worst. This time Lucy didn't bother stifling her gasp.

"R-really?" Natsu nodded.

"I... I think I like you Luce... as in like more than a nakama... or a partner... or even a best friend. I-I think I may l-love you..." He stated, blushing but instead of looking away he turned his head and caught her eye. "So... w-what do you say Luce? Please?" Lucy looked up at him, her eyes shining. With a quick nod of her head she replied, "I-I love you t-too." And then she stretched up and kissed him firmly.

The End!


End file.
